1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a windshield wiper, and more particularly to a windshield wiper having a simplified manufacturing process without needing riveting and bonding actions.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional windshield wiper 10 in accordance with the prior art shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 comprises a steel plate 11 including an axially extended fixing slot 111 having an end formed with an enlarged opening 112, a wiper 15 mounted in the fixing slot 111 of the steel plate 11, two protective hoods 13 each mounted on one of two ends of the steel plate 11 and having a mounting hole 131 mounted on the steel plate 11, two side covers 14 each mounted on the respective end of the steel plate 11 and each rested on the respective protective hood 13, and an articulation 12 mounted on the steel plate 11 and located between the two protective hoods 13. The steel plate 11 has a mediate portion formed with a plurality of rivet holes 113, and the articulation 12 has an upper portion provided with a shaft 121 for mounting a motor (not shown) and a lower portion formed with a plurality of fixing posts 122 secured in the rivet holes 113 of the steel plate 11 by riveting.
In assembly, the articulation 12 has a plurality of fixing posts 122 secured in the rivet holes 113 of the steel plate 11 by riveting. Then, the wiper 15 is inserted into the enlarged opening 112 of the steel plate 11 and locked in the fixing slot 111 of the steel plate 11 in a sliding manner. Then, the two protective hoods 13 are mounted on the steel plate 11. Finally, the two side covers 14 are mounted on the steel plate 11 and each bonded on the respective protective hood 13 by an adhesive.
However, the articulation 12 is secured to the steel plate 11 by riveting, so that it is difficult to mount the articulation 12 on the steel plate 11, thereby causing inconvenience in assembly of the windshield wiper and wasting the manual work. In addition, each of the two side covers 14 is bonded on the respective protective hood 13 by an adhesive, thereby complicating the manufacturing process, and decreasing the productivity of the windshield wiper. Further, each of the two side covers 14 is bonded on the respective protective hood 13 by an adhesive, so that each of the two side covers 14 is easily detached from the respective protective hood 13 during a long-term utilization. Further, the articulation 12 is directly exposed outward from the steel plate 11, thereby decreasing the aesthetic quality of the windshield wiper.